March/April 2014
2014 Business
Conference & Exhibition
Making Fish
An Everyday Dish
Home Freezer
Campaign Kicks Off Preface Special Report Industry News Diary Dates Health & Safety New Products New Member Profiles Technical & Legislative
BFFF Gala Dinner Dance & Awards Presentation Evening Thursday 12th June 2014 London Hilton on Park Lane The BFFF Gala Dinner Dance attracts over 800 members and provides a superb networking opportunity for both the retail and foodservice sectors. The occasion also provides the natural arena for the presentation of the Annual Awards for New Products. Whilst the awards are given the recognition that they deserve, there is also plenty of time for dancing and mixing with colleagues and friends in the industry. This is a black tie and dinner jacket occasion and reception rooms open at 6.00pm with the call to dinner for 7.00pm. There will be a breakfast served at 1.30am in an informal setting which allows time for mingling with the rest of the industry. The occasion usually closes by 3.00 am. For your enjoyment this year we have‌ *
A Brilliant Dance Band
*
A fabulous guest band to keep you on the dance
*
An entertaining cabaret to keep the evening lively
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The perfect arena for mixing with the industry and its customers
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A chance to network into the wee small hours
BOOKINGS NOW BEING TAKEN! Contact Charley Price on 01400 283091 Email: charleyprice@bfff.co.uk Or Jilly Wallis on 01400 283090 Email: jillywallis@bfff.co.uk
Bookings exclusively for members of BFFF only This very popular occasion is enjoyed by all and we look forward to welcoming our members and their guests. All you need to bring with you is your party spirit.
The Bulletin
CONTENTS
THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014
BRIAN YOUNG
PREFACE & BFFF NEWS
04
FACTS & FIGURES
09
NEW PRODUCTS
10
NEWS
11
DIRECTOR - GENERAL
Dear Members, Welcome to the March/April edition of THE BULLETIN. The weather is getting warmer and spring finally seems to be in the air. Energy was certainly high during the BFFF Business Conference in February. Our fantastic speakers were eloquent and passionate about opportunities for the future and we were all inspired by Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ strategies for surviving in some of the world’s most challenging climates. Find out more about the conference in our special section on page 30. If you’re disappointed at missing out, don’t despair. Book your place for next year and save the date: March 3, 2015. Inside, find out more about EU F-Gas proposals and what that could mean for your business, plus a special feature on fish and seafood and news on the BFFF’s new campaign ‘Making friends with your freezer!’ So enjoy, and if you have something you’d like us to cover, please get in touch.
Brian Young Director-General British Frozen Food Federation Registered office: Warwick House, Unit 7, Long Bennington Business Park, Main Road, Long Bennington, Newark NG23 5JR. A company limited by guarantee. Registered in England and Wales No: 7687541 T 01400 283090 W www.bfff.co.uk Director-General Brian Young Bulletin Editor Graeme Day Contributors Joanna Hancock and Su Dakin Advertising Manager Kate Miller T 01780 763841 M 07933 704270 E katemiller@bfff.co.uk
FEATURES 19 BFFF CONFERENCE
30
HEALTH & SAFETY
43
TECHNICAL & LEGISLATIVE 47 NEW MEMBER PROFILES 49 DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
51
The Bulletin is published bi-monthly by the fabl for the British Frozen Food Federation. the fabl is a marketing and publishing agency specialising in strategic brand development, design, engaging content creation and innovative, cross platform delivery. the fabl Nesfield House, Broughton Hall Business Park, Skipton, Yorks, BD23 3AE T 01756 636 777 W www.thefabl.com Managing Director Mags Walker Editor Sarah Hardy
THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014 03
PREFACE
The Bulletin
Preface by Brian Young, Director-General
PREFACE
Tickets Go On Sale for the BFFF Gala Dinner Dance
Preparations are now underway for the highly acclaimed BFFF Gala Dinner Dance to be held on Thursday June 12, 2014 at the London Hilton on Park Lane.
04 THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014
THE EVENING PROVIDES a natural arena for presentations to the winners of the BFFF Annual Awards 2014 for new products in both the retail and catering sectors. Application forms have already been sent direct by email to member companies and tickets are selling fast. If it is your intention to attend the Gala Dinner Dance, please contact either Charley Price on 01400 283091 or Jilly Wallis on 01400 283090 as soon as possible and let us know you wish to be there on the
evening. As always, the event will be sold on a ‘first come - first served’ basis. As many members will know, this is a very popular event and tickets sell quickly so please respond promptly by sending your completed form and payment to us. We’ve got a great line-up of entertainment and know that members who have become accustomed to an enjoyable summer evening of first class dining, networking and dancing will not be disappointed.
This year’s sponsors Adding their support to the occasion are our sponsors, companies that back our industry to the hilt. For 2014, we’d like to confirm and thank the following sponsors.
WE ARE DELIGHTED to have the Yearsley Group (www.yearsley.com)as a sponsor once again for the Retail Awards - thanks to both Harry Yearsley and Jonathan Baker. Our thanks go to Bram Hage and Ray Perry of Newcold (www.newcold.com) for sponsoring the Catering Awards again. We also have Iceland Foods (www.iceland.co.uk) returning to sponsor the seating brochure. Our thanks go to Malcolm Walker and Nigel Broadhurst. Many thanks to Joanna Frost of Sam Browne Foods (www.sambrownefoods.co.uk) for sponsoring the main cabaret again this year. Also, continuing its support is Freiberger UK (www.freiberger.de). Our thanks to Freiberger’s Richard Harrow for sponsoring the band Rollacoaster, who keep the party going with the music you love to dance to. New sponsor for this year’s Gala Dinner Dance is Golden Valley Pallet Wrap Specialists (www.gvps.co.uk).
BOOK YOUR
BULLETIN
SPECIAL REPORT
Following its sponsorship of the President’s Reception at the Annual Luncheon in November, GVPS will be a joint sponsor of the Gala Dinner’s President’s Reception. Our thanks to GVPS’s Colin Griffiths for his support. STOP PRESS! Rick Bestwick Ltd will be the new sponsor for the breakfast this year. Many thanks to Stuart Hancock for supporting the BFFF again. CALL FOR SPONSORS We have a number of other fabulous sponsorship opportunities at the Gala Dinner Dance, so if you are re-positioning your business, celebrating an anniversary, launching a new product or perhaps refreshing a new brand, we would be delighted to talk to you about how you could sponsor or advertise at one of the industry’s most prestigious events. Please contact Graeme Day on 01400 283092 or email: graemeday@bfff.co.uk.
ADVERTISING YOUR COMPANY, product or service in a Bulletin Special Report gives you access to over 3,000 industry leaders and decision-makers in the perfect environment. Published six times a year, each issue of the Bulletin contains one or even two special reports. For 2014, look out for ‘Potatoes, Meat-Free, Fruit & Vegetables’ in May-June, ‘Annual
Yearsley Group Newcold Iceland Foods Sam Browne Foods Freiberger Golden Valley Rick Bestwick Ltd Awards and Gala Dinner’ in July-August, ‘Meat, Poultry & Ready Meals’ in September-October and ‘Pizza, Bread & Savouries’ in NovemberDecember. Contact Kate Miller on 01780 763841 or 07933704270 or email katemiller@bfff.co.uk for more information or to book your spot.
THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014 05
BFFF NEWS
The Bulletin
Make Friends with your Freezer Campaign Launch
THIS IS ONE of the key findings from the BFFF’s latest piece of research released in early 2014. The research, which gathered opinions directly from main household shoppers, looked at why people buy food fresh or chilled and freeze it at home. The research also found that four out of ten British shoppers throw away perfectly good food they’ve bought fresh and frozen at home. This food is often minus its original packaging and the shopper no longer remembered what it was. A massive 62% of shoppers admitted to throwing away food that they’d frozen from fresh or chilled because it no longer looks 06 THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014
appetising, whilst three in five people throw out frozen from fresh food because they can’t remember how long they’ve had it for.
BENEFITS OF BUYING FROZEN THIS LATEST PIECE of research from BFFF forms part of a campaign to encourage people to ‘Make Friends with their Freezer’. It recognises the benefits consumers could enjoy by cutting out the ‘middle man’ and opting for commercially frozen food straight from the supermarket. Director-General, Brian Young comments:
Seventy per cent of people buy more fresh food than they need to on BOGOF (buy one get one free) deals only to freeze it and often ultimately throw it away, according to research conducted exclusively for BFFF.
“We’ve spent a lot of time over the past five years of our promotional campaign looking at the nutritional, cost and environmental benefits frozen food has to offer. For this piece of research we wanted to understand exactly why consumers buy fresh food and freeze it rather than buying commercially frozen products in the first instance. “By understanding these motivations the industry can start to identify ways in which to overcome them and demonstrate to consumers that they’re better off buying frozen.”
EW N
E 4 IN 01 EL Y 2 AT A D M G 1 N RI IL SP APR 28
DISCOVER THE HEARTBEAT OF FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY
At Hotelympia meet over 1,000 exhibitors displaying the latest new products and widest range of innovation to benefit your business. In 2014 the event presents a new spring dateline, an array of inspiring speakers and the latest in food & drink, catering equipment, decor and design, tabletop, technology, and waste management solutions.
REGISTER AT HOTELYMPIA.COM/BFFF If you are interested in exhibiting at Hotelympia contact Andrew Pantelli T: +44 (0 0 207 886 3055 E: andrew.pantelli@freshmontgomery.co.uk Images: citizenM London Bankside & ME London
BFFF NEWS
The Bulletin
SOLUTION TO OVER-BUYING
SPRING CLEANING THE FREEZER
THE FINDINGS CLEARLY identified that the top three reasons why consumers freeze at home are all motivated by buying too much food in their supermarket shop. Reasons to freeze include:
THE RESEARCH ALSO looked into how people use what is in their freezer in order to encourage freezer rotation rather than leaving food sitting in the freezer for years on end. Nearly 50% of shoppers admitted to having £75 worth of food - or an average of 24 items - stored in their freezer. Despite this, 82% and 83% of shoppers respectively said that they buy fresh meat and poultry at least monthly.
n 70% buy more than they need on BOGOF deals n 77% can’t eat all their fresh food within its ‘use by’ date n 61% didn’t eat as much as they thought they would “There is a clear opportunity to convert these shoppers who are buying too much fresh food to use frozen in the first place” continues Brian. “If we can work as an industry to continue to overcome the ‘fresh is always best’ misconception we can open up a whole new consumer segment to frozen foods. “We can show them the massive improvement in quality they could achieve from buying commercially frozen food instead of freezing at home in their domestic freezer.” 08 THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014
Brian concludes: “The research shows that people aren’t using their freezers in the most effective way. Many are going out and buying
too much fresh food on a regular basis despite having several meals sitting waiting in the freezer. One respondent admitted to still having chicken nuggets bought in 1993! “We’ll be rolling out the findings of our research on our Cool Cookery consumer website over the next few months in an effort to encourage shoppers to use their freezers and frozen food better. Ultimately, what we want to see is a reduction in food waste and consumers taking up commercially frozen food to allow their food budgets to go further.”
THE BRITISH FROZEN Food Federation ‘Make Friends With Your Freezer’ research was conducted by OnePoll.
HOW WE CARRIED OUT THE RESEARCH
It was carried out on 500 respondents; women aged 25-45 with children. Respondents were asked a series of questions about food purchasing habits, attitudes towards fresh and frozen foods, plus how they used their freezer at home.
FACTS & FIGURES
The Bulletin
Green Shoots For Frozen After Tough 2013 SOURCE: KANTAR
The latest data provided by Kantar Worldpanel for the year to December 8, 2013 shows the retail frozen food market growing by 2.5% in value and is flat as far as volume is concerned. As many of the retailers have reported recently, achieving any kind of growth in the retail market right now is very difficult. AMONGST THE PRODUCT sectors, there were vastly contrasting results with the star performers being frozen potato products up by a mighty 10% year on year in value whilst ice cream reaped the rewards of a decent summer at long last. Ice cream enjoyed value growth of 6.8% year on year and a volume growth of 3.4% year on year. It’s worth noting that frozen meat and poultry grew by 5% in value and by 2.8% in volume whilst the frozen vegetable sector also continues to increase in value by a very creditable 5.1% year on year and 1.1% in terms of volume.
The problem sector of the frozen market remains ready meals. It has recorded an 8% decline year on year in value and an 8.3% decline in volume as the full impact of criminal infiltration into the supply chain becomes clear. Consumers have lost confidence in processed meats and it will be some time before they feel reassured enough to return to frozen ready meals. Manufacturers, brands and retailers will almost certainly have to think very hard about how to reposition this category to allay consumers’ fears - and move it away from the ‘cheap processed red meat’ heritage that it
suffers from now. On a positive note, the economy does seem to be recovering across the board. However, the gap between cost inflation and wage inflation remains stubbornly wide to the disadvantage of consumers. As 2014 gets underway, the frozen market should show some growth partly because of still challenged disposable income but also as some of the worst effects of the ready meal issues of 2013 begin to dissipate.
RETAIL FROZEN FOOD STATS YEAR ON YEAR GROWTH TO YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 8, 2013 VALUE IN £000’ s 52 w/e 9th Dec 2012 to 52 w/e 8th Dec 2013
2012
CONFECTIONERY
2013
2012
£774,905 £827,802 £268,897 £269,022 £763,272 £765,216
TOTAL FROZEN FOODS VALUE
2013
2012
£589,831 £619,536 £465,095 £488,971 £617,721 £679,569
2012
£5.57bn
2013
£710,732 £654,148 £409,924 £409,260 £971,819 £999,959
2013
£5.71bn
VOLUME IN 000’S Kgs 52 w/e 9th Dec 2012 to 52 w/e 8th Dec 2013
2012
CONFECTIONERY
2013
2012
327,506kgs 338,498kgs 72,865kgs 73,398kgs 129,933kgs 129,768kgs
TOTAL FROZEN FOODS VOLUME
2013
2012
165,237kgs 169,870kgs 306,688kgs 310,120kgs 479,319kgs 477,623kgs
2012
2.06bn kgs
2013
186,927kgs 171,497kgs 108,276kgs 105,349kgs 280,449kgs 279,489kgs
2013
2.06bn kgs THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014 09
NEW PRODUCTS
Spice up your Snacks TAKE A HEALTHY bite out of the growing trend for snacking with Aviko’s Chilli Cheddar Nuggets. The versatile nugget has a crunchy coating with a creamy, rich Cheddar cheese centre that delivers a spicy jalapeño kick and taps into the trend for bite-sized and ethnicflavoured snacks. Perfect served as part of a sharing platter, a standalone, side dish or accompaniment to a Tex Mex-style meal. Mohammed Essa, general manager, said: “Snacking has been spotlighted as the big money-making opportunity for 2014 and our versatile nuggets will help caterers spice up their profits around the clock.”
Weighing in at just 17g each, Aviko’s Chilli Cheddar Nuggets are 4g lighter than their market-leading rival - providing two additional portions per kilogram and more profit for the operator. Supplied frozen in 5 x 1kg cases, Chilli Cheddar Nuggets can be ready to serve after two-and-a-half minutes in the deep fryer. Mohammed adds; “By giving caterers 25% more per kilogram, our nuggets offer the best value on the market!” For more information, visit www.aviko.co.uk or call 01442 239 536
Meat-free Burgers are Paramount PARAMOUNT 21 LTD has launched three new veggie burgers to fuel the demand for tasty, meat-free products. The Devon-based frozen food manufacturer’s range, include the Havana Burger, the Butternut, Goat’s Cheese & Beet Burger and the Aromatic Garden Burger. The South American inspired Havana Burger includes a mix of beans, creamy mozzarella, sweet potato, peppers and authentic smoky spices. The Butternut, Goat’s Cheese & Beet Burger is coated in a crispy oat flecked, black pepper breadcrumb for a nice crunchy coating. British and Indian influences have inspired the Aromatic Garden Burger, containing broad beans, peas and spinach blended with subtle aromatic Indian spices coated in a light breadcrumb flecked with oats and parsley. It can be deep fried in minutes. Sue Cullum, sales & marketing director, said: “The team at Paramount has spent many months analysing the vegetarian
10 THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014
burger market and found that there was an opportunity to develop the ‘next generation’ of veggie burgers into this category. We are immensely proud of these new vegetarian options and look forward to further vegetarian launches.” The company recently won a Great Taste Award for its vegetarian Melted Cheese and Beer Croquette launched into foodservice last year. For more information, visit www.paramount21.co.uk
The Bulletin
Prawns get the
Royal Treatment ROYAL GREENLAND HAS launched a new gourmet prawn which not only retains its sweet flavour but is healthier too. Greenlandic Gourmet Prawns are caught wild and processed in a MSC-certified inshore fishery, using a combination of traditional methods and technology to keep the prawns intact, sweet and delicate. The gourmet prawns are packaged in a new brine solution with a lower amount of salt (1.4%) compared to the industry standard (2.6%). As well as creating a healthier product, the lighter brine allows the unique, sweet flavour of the Greenlandic prawns to shine. Ole Kragh Malle, senior projects manager, said: “Historically, cold water prawns have been viewed as a product that lacked innovation and excitement. By creating this new luxury, healthier product we are leading the industry, creating interest and providing foodservice operators with a convenient product to work with.” Available in a 900g (drained weight) re-sealable tub, the prawns are ready to eat once drained. For more information, visit www.royalgreenland.com
NEWS
The Bulletin
AT A GLANCE Kara Triumphs
Prosperous New Year for 3663 LEADING WHOLESALE FOOD distributor 3663 is celebrating a multi-million pound growth in sales during 2013. Over the past 12 months, the company has won 10 major national and regional customers worth over £60 million per annum, and increased sales from its existing customer base across all product categories, including 3663 Own Brand, catering equipment, Swithenbank Fresh and Fine Foods, fresh meat and ViVAS drinks ranges. Alex Fisher, managing director, said: “We are thrilled that more foodservice customers are choosing 3663. We believe that chefs, cooks and procurement teams are coming to us
because of our strong focus on delivering partnership strategies. As a business we want to make our customers’ lives easier and help them to be successful.” The company has announced a second stage multi-million pound infrastructure investment, which includes four new depots, updating its nationwide infrastructure, multi-temperature vehicle fleet and IT systems. The company has brought in new technology to improve customer service and efficiency to meet growing customer demand. For further information visit www.3663.co.uk/ or call 0370 3663 000.
The Clock is Ticking THE PENSIONS REGULATOR is urging employers to enrol their staff onto a work based pension scheme now, and not leave it until the last minute. Under changes to pension laws all companies with around 150 to 249 workers are due to stage before August. Executive director of automatic enrolment at The Pensions Regulator, Charles Counsell said: “The clock is ticking and employers should act now. Leaving preparations too late can lead to non compliance and this can come at a cost. Automatically enrolling workers will go much more smoothly for employers who plan ahead and take a step
by step approach. Starting preparations in good time means any challenges can be dealt with in a timely and unhurried way.” The first step for an employer is to find out their staging date. The staging date is set in law and is when an employer’s automatic enrolment duties are switched on. Once they know their staging date, employers should use the regulator’s handy timeline planner showing what needs to be done and when. Both the staging date tool and the timeline planner are available on the regulator’s website: www.thepensionregulator.gov.uk
Fletchers Group of Bakeries foodservice brand Kara won Frozen Food Supplier of the Year at the Country Range Group (CRG) Annual Supplier Awards. The food supplier has also just completed a £1m expansion of its cold storage facilities.
Cool Runnings Ice Company won Impulse Supplier of the Year 2013 award at the annual Tesco Frozen Food Conference after impressing the supermarket chain with its supply of ice cubes during last summer’s heat-wave.
Top Jobs Macphie has restructured its executive board with chief executive officer, Alastair Macphie becoming executive chairman and Andrew Underwood becoming managing director.
Pizza Perfect Freiberger UK scooped the Everyday Category award at the Pizza, Pasta and Italian Food Industry Awards 2013 for its Stonebaked Spinach and Ricotta Pizza launched under the Asda Chosen by You brand.
£4m Expansion Ardo launched a £4m project to expand its UK’s state-of-the-art cold store at Charing by more than 20 percent, taking overall storage capacity from 19,000 to 23,200 pallets. THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014 11
NEWS
The Bulletin
Gearing up for Labelling Rules NEW EU FOOD regulation on allergens has prompted Almondy to redesign the packaging for its frozen almond biscuit-based cakes. The EU Food Information for Consumers Regulation (EU FIR 1169/2011), which comes into force on 13 December 2014, requires both manufacturers and caterers to warn customers clearly about potential allergens in food. It is estimated that 21 million people in the UK suffer with at least one allergy and the new labelling rules warn of the presence of 14 key allergens, including nuts and gluten. Andrew Ely, managing director of the Swedish bakery Almondy, said: “The new regulations
Competitive Edge in Logistics DHL, A GLOBAL logistics company, has launched DHL Resilience360. This unique new risk management solution enables businesses to turn supply chain disruption and global environmental and socio-political volatility into competitive advantage by providing them with a holistic, end-to-end view of their supply chains and real-time risk visibility. With the support of DHL Resilience360, customers can avoid production stop and lost sales by redirecting resources and adopting alternative strategies when a disruption occurs, improving financial stability and potentially capturing sales and market share from competitors. 12 THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014
Bill Meahl, DHL’s chief commercial officer, said: “We understand that supply chains are the lifeblood of our customers’ businesses and create solutions like DHL Resilience360 to help them meet today’s challenges and anticipate tomorrow’s. You can’t eliminate risks or prevent them from happening, but you can manage them to help minimize the negative impact on your business. With the right tools, you can even capitalize on disruptions and disasters by having the correct measures in place to respond quickly and effectively when competitors can’t.” For more information visit www.dhl.com/supplychain
mean a major shake-up in how manufacturers provide allergen warnings, but it is a whole new ball game for the catering industry. We have set the ball rolling for our customers by providing clear signage that will make it easier for them to accommodate the new demands being made on them.” The new packaging for the Almondy range will highlight any potential allergens in bold text on its ingredients list. For further information, visit www.almondy.com/en or call 01604 858 522
Cool Runnings DURING LAST SUMMER’S heat-wave one company went above and beyond the call of duty, according to Tesco. The supermarket chain was so impressed with the Ice Company’s delivery of ice cubes that it named the company Impulse Supplier of the Year 2013 at the annual Tesco Frozen Food Conference. Paul Doughty, managing director, Ice Company, said: “Through July, Tesco’s demand climbed and climbed, but we were able to supply in full due to the staff at each of our four factories working tirelessly throughout July and August. The ultimate reward was full availability of our products at-shelf, meaning that Tesco, Tesco’s customers and the Iceco all benefitted tremendously from the wonderful weather.” The Ice Company offers a range of products, from regular ice cubes through to crushed ice, dry ice and ice sculptures.
Talent Search
AT A GLANCE New Year Boost 3663 started 2014 on a high with news of a multimillion pound growth in sales during 2013. The wholesale food distributor has won 10 major national and regional customers worth over £60 million per annum, and seen increased sales within their existing customer base.
FIFTY-TWO TEAMS have been shortlisted for the regional heats of Brakes Student Chef Team Challenge. The annual competition, sponsored by BD Foods and ABP Food Group and supported by the Craft Guild of Chefs, attracted 87 entries from colleges throughout the UK. The college teams had to submit a threecourse, four-cover menu, and the judges, Mark Irish, head of food development at Brakes, Christopher Basten, national chairman of the Craft Guild of Chefs (CGoC) and Allister Bishop, executive sous chef at Harrods, assessed them on their use of local and regional ingredients, catering skills, processes and techniques and their ability to cost a menu.
The shortlisted teams will now be invited to compete in a live cook-off at one of seven regional heats held across the UK, including Northern Ireland. Mark Irish said: “The Student Chef Team Challenge is going from strength to strength and we’re really excited to be able to hold a regional heat in Northern Ireland. As always, the standard is fantastic and this year’s shortlisted college teams are no exception. All entrants have their work cut out, and I wish them all the very best of luck. We are certainly going to have some tough decisions to make.” For more details, visit www.brakesstudentchef.co.uk
£4m Expansion for Ardo ARDO HAS LAUNCHED a £4m project to expand its UK state-of-the-art cold store at Charing. The frozen fruit and vegetable specialist will increase the facility by more than 20 percent, taking overall storage capacity from 19,000 to 23,200 pallets. The extension will be fully integrated with the existing cold store and feature the same space-efficient mobile racking system and sensor-controlled, low-energy LED lighting. “Our cold store is just off the M20 and
close to the Port of Dover and the Channel Tunnel, making us an attractive location for companies bringing in frozen goods from mainland Europe,” said Jon Barnes, Ardo UK supply chain and inventory director. “Although cold storage is not our core business, it is an important additional source of income that helps make sure we remain a financially sustainable business.” In addition to the increased freezer space, the development will include new loading docks able to accommodate double-decker trailers.
GVPS New Team Golden Valley Pallet Wrap Specialists (GVPS) has had a senior management restructure with Martyn Sumner becoming managing director and Mike Wardell appointed sales director.
New Labels New EU food regulation on allergens has prompted Almondy to redesign the packaging for its frozen, almond biscuit-based cakes to warn customers clearly about potential allergens in food.
Time is Ticking The Pensions Regulator is urging employers to enrol their staff onto a work-based pension scheme asap. Under changes to pension laws all companies with around 150 to 249 workers are due to stage before August.
THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014 13
NEWS
The Bulletin
Top Toppings Double Celebration for Kara FREIBERGER UK SCOOPED the Everyday Category award at the Pizza, Pasta and Italian Food Industry Awards 2013. The PAPA awards, held at the Lancaster London Hotel, recognises the ‘movers and shakers’ who continue to drive and inspire this multi-million pound industry. The frozen pizza producer collected the award for its Stonebaked Spinach and Ricotta Pizza launched under the Asda Chosen by You brand, and received a highly commended for its Co-Operative Pizzeria Sweet Chicken Pizza
and its Tesco’s Stonebaked Goat’s Cheese and Spinach. Richard Harrow, managing director, of Freiberger UK, said: “This is the second year running we have won this category. What makes it so special is that we compete against chilled pizza in these awards so to win it two years running is a fantastic recognition of the quality of our products.” For further information, visit www.freiberger.de
New Team at GVPS GOLDEN VALLEY PALLET Wrap Specialists, the Gloucester-based specialist supplier of hand and machine pallet wrap, has restructured its senior management team. Martyn Sumner, previously the company’s operations director, has taken on the role of managing director after Suzanne Griffiths retired, and commercial director, Mike Wardell, has been appointed sales director. Martyn Sumner commented: “We are developing an industry-wide reputation as a company that provides a quality product and a better service than consumers of pallet wrap have traditionally been used to. Despite the difficult trading conditions, our turnover has continued to increase in line with our 14 THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014
Golden Valley’s new management team (left to right) Martyn Sumner, Colin Griffiths, and Mike Wardell five year plan. We have everything in place - including an experienced and highly motivated sales force, a highly efficient supply chain and, of course, the right products, to ensure that we take the business to a new level.” For further information, visit www.gvps.co.uk
FOODSERVICE BRAND KARA was voted Frozen Food Supplier of the Year at the inaugural Country Range Group (CRG) Annual Supplier Awards, held at The East Wintergarden, Canary Wharf. Kara was commended for its service, growth, innovation and business relationships. Chris Haddy, Kara commercial controller, said: “This award is a significant achievement in a sector shared with so many prestigious suppliers. As the foodservice brand for the Fletchers Group of Bakeries, Kara prides itself on high levels of customer service, market leading products and superb manufacturing facilities, and we are delighted to have won this award, which reflects both the company and brand development.” The Kara brand was also nominated in the Best Business Relationship category. Kara is also celebrating a £1m expansion of its cold storage facilities that doubles its storage capacity to 1,000 pallets. The expansion enables greater internal efficiencies with improved operational handling, stock rotation and more accurate temperature control. Kara general manager, Jeff Dean, said: “Cold storage is an essential part of the production process and our previous facility had become outdated. This is more energy efficient,enables us to handle products in a more orderly way with less movement and offers us greater efficiency in dispatching the product to third party distributors.” For further information, visit www.karafs.co.uk
New Partnership TSC FOODS HAS joined Edward Billington and Son Ltd. The Scunthorpe based manufacturer has been supplying chilled and frozen products for more than two decades, and will continue to trade from the same site. David Bondi, managing director, TSC Foods said: “This is a fantastic move for TSC and we are delighted to join a family-owned company that is focused on the food sector. We have grown significantly over recent years with a focus on innovation, quality and service to all our customers and are
proud to continue that success as part of a larger group”.The Billington Group has been based in Liverpool since 1858 and is one of the UK’s largest, family-owned companies with a mix of businesses predominately in food and agriculture. Chief executive of The Billington Group, Gary Blake said: “This is a fantastic acquisition for the group; we believe that TSC Foods is a perfect fit for our strategic vision to become the market leader in the foodservice sector.”
AT A GLANCE Competitive Edge in Logistics DHL Resilience360 has been launched by a leading global logistics company. The unique new risk management solution will enable businesses to turn supply chain disruption and global environmental and socio-political volatility into competitive advantage.
All Change at Macphie New Partnership TSC Foods has joined Edward Billington and Son Ltd. The Scunthorpe-based manufacturer has been supplying chilled and frozen products for more than two decades, and will continue to trade from the same site.
Safe Storing Andrew Underwood (left) and Alastair Macphie MACPHIE HAS RESTRUCTURED its executive board. This news comes hot on the heels of a recent positive trading results statement for the UK’s largest independent added-value food ingredients manufacturer. From April 1, Alastair Macphie, chief executive officer for the past 18 years, will become executive chairman and Andrew Underwood, sales and marketing director, has been promoted to managing director. Alastair will now focus on longer term initiatives such as future manufacturing plant requirements, building closer links with strategic partners, employee engagement and corporate social responsibility. He will continue to oversee the Glenbervie Estate and Farm, where a new wind
farm will be established during 2014. Alastair Macphie said: “The restructure will give a greater focus to both our forward investment plans, as well as the operational challenges we face in today’s competitive global food market. From his previous roles in the food industry in both manufacturing and retail, Andrew has exactly the right mix of skills, experience and drive to ensure the continued development of Macphie and achieve the challenging growth targets set out in our corporate plan.” Joining the main board as a non-executive directors are Di Walker, executive chairman of Karro Food Group, and Peter Farquhar former chief executive officer of Dorset Cereals.
SSI Schaefer has completed a yearlong project to design, manufacture and install automated pallet handling and storage systems at the Spaldingbased facility of T F Bowman & Son.
And Chef Talent Brakes announced that 52 teams have been shortlisted for the regional heats of the Student Chef Team Challenge, sponsored by BD Foods and ABP Food Group and supported by the Craft Guild of Chefs.
THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014 15
NEWS
The Bulletin
Hensons Upsizes Trucks For Service And Payload Benefits
WHOLESALER AND EXPERT catering butcher, Hensons has boosted its delivery capacity with the arrival of the first 15-tonne truck in its 15 strong fleet of dual temperature zone vehicles. The latest addition is part of a £500,000 investment in new trucks with the latest low emission technology to reduce the company’s environmental impact and provide even better customer service. A further two 12-tonne trucks will join the fleet later this spring.
Warren Bignell, commercial director of Hensons, said: “Hensons offers leading restaurants and wholesalers a six-days-a-week low impact delivery service across the south of England and London. EU emissions regulations require more and more onboard diagnostics and this limits truck payloads. Many of our customers have limited storage space and both expect and need a high level of service which the bigger trucks allow Hensons to maintain.”
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For more information, visit www.henson.co.uk
High Fries for Lamb Weston
Safe Storage SSI SCHAEFER HAS completed a year-long project to design, manufacture and install automated pallet handling and storage systems at the Spalding-based facility of T F Bowman & Son. The global-leading supplier of storage and materials handling systems will help meet demand and improve service for Bowman & Son, who store meat, food products, fruit and flowers in ambient, chilled, blastfrozen, frozen and tempered conditions. SSI Schaefer’s storage facilities will maximise storage capacity as well as providing safe freezer access. The new facility has three tempering chambers, one of which has been designed to work as a blast-freezing chamber at -25°C.
Hensons recently took delivery of two 12-tonne trucks to complement its fleet of 7.5 tonners. Its fleet is 100% Euro 5 compliant with higher emission standards than the minimum level required to operate in the London low emission zone. All trucks have multi-temperature bodies and sliding interior bulkheads that allow the driver to divide the body into separate frozen and chilled sections for maximum payload flexibility in the same vehicle. “The environmental impact of our business is a key concern to us and to our customers so Hensons pays special attention to operating the most fuel efficient and technically advanced trucks we can - as well as developing routes and schedules that include backhauling,” said Warren. “Located in the heart of London, Hensons is perfectly positioned to service the capital’s demanding restaurateurs and busy wholesalers with overnight and next day deliveries. We offer possibly the shortest time from order to delivery in the city and we intend to continue doing so efficiently and with as low an impact as possible.”
Each chamber is able to accommodate 52 pallet locations in four channels across two levels. The pallets are automatically put away and retrieved using Schaefer’s Orbiter system, which makes human access to the chamber unnecessary. For further information, visit www.ssi-schaefer.co.uk or call 01264 386600
LAMB WESTON, PRODUCERS of high-quality potato products, had its own glimpse of gold at Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. The Netherlandsbased company was selected to supply a range of its premium potato products to a number of food and drink outlets in Sochi during the winter games, after a rigorous quality criteria selection process. Thanks to its extensive distribution partners in Russia, Lamb Weston was able to supply a wide range of hotels, restaurants and food stalls with its Stealth® French fries, wedges and onion rings. Merav Mattijssen, channel marketing manager at Lamb Weston/Meijer, said “We’re delighted to have been chosen for our consistent high-quality products, and to be providing people’s favorite foods.” For more information, visit www.lambweston-nl.com
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FEATURE
The Bulletin
Making Fish an Everyday Dish Fish may not be performing as well as the total frozen market, but with economic growth and renewed consumer interest there are high hopes of stimulating the market. ACCORDING TO KANTAR Worldpanel data the fish market as a whole is worth £765 million (for the year ending December 8, 2013) and was up by 0.3% in value year on year. With other proteins having become more affordable to hard-pressed consumers during the recession, fish volumes have remained flat at just under 130,000 tonnes.
With the economic outlook beginning to improve and consumers’ disposable incomes showing some signs of improvement, the affordability of fish versus other proteins may become less important, restoring growth to what is a sizeable market with a great many plus points for today’s health and wealth savvy consumer.
In fact, one area where the popularity of fish is growing swimmingly is amongst families. Seen as a firm favourite to serve at mealtimes, fish consumption in the UK has grown steadily since the 1970s and now four out of five households eat fish at least once a month, according to Seafish.
THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014 19
FEATURE
DUE TO INCREASING demand and proving that fish in not just a Friday dish, Crown Foods has doubled its ‘Simply Fish - Flavour Infused’ retail range for families. The products, whose flavor-infused tempura battered coatings were debuted on school menus, have been snapped up by a major convenience retailer and are selling in over 180 stores nationwide.
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The Bulletin
“Battered Fish and chips have long been a British staple, especially on school menus, and typically served on Fridays,” explains James Rasor, product and QA director at Crown Foods. “Knowing the nutritional benefits of fish, we wanted to develop products that excited the senses whilst also being versatile this was the inspiration for our Flavour Infused range! By gently permeating tempura batter we are able to cover fish fillets with a golden
and crispy coating that naturally adds zing and brings fish filets alive.” The range will be expanding with the introduction of 140g Salt & Vinegar Fish Fillets and 16g Salt & Vinegar Fish Goujons alongside the 60g Salt & Vinegar Mini Fish Fillets and 25g Salt & Pepper Chunky Fish Bites.
Free from; Wheat, Gluten and Dairy
never been fried; not fried in manufacture
MSC certified; Wild Alaskan Pollock Fillet
Omega-3; a natural source
The Ultimate Fish Finger For further information and samples please contact Gerry Brown on 07917 261403 or email gerry.brown@youngsseafood.co.uk
0800 132096 www.youngsforchefs.co.uk
FEATURE
The Bulletin
BIRDS EYE HAS also spotted the potential to change habits and increase sales. The UK’s leading frozen food brand has revamped its adult dining portfolio with two new products that offer an innovative and exciting midweek meal solution, quick and easy without sacrificing on flavour and quality. Birds Eye’s Veg Fusions and Melt in the Middle Fish Cakes were created to relieve mid-week boredom for adults. Helen Martin, general marketing manager, comments: “The addition of Veg Fusions and Melt in the Middle Fish Cakes to our adult dining portfolio is an exciting development for Birds Eye. With these new ranges Birds Eye aims to revolutionise mealtimes, making it easier to enjoy delicious dinners during the week.”
Fresh Take On Fish and Chips GOURMET FISH AND CHIPS could be the way to revive the flagging fortunes of the nation’s original takeaway. One example of the upmarket chippy trend is Russell’s in Worcestershire, now celebrating after its first, and successful, year in business. The gourmet fish and chip shop is the first chippy in Broadway Village and had to extend its opening days from five to seven to meet customer demand.
Gourmet fish needs premium chips and Aviko’s traditional-style Lord Chips passed Russell’s all-important taste test with flying colours.
The 24-cover eat-in restaurant has a thriving takeaway business, and an alcohol license that allows customers to enjoy a pint of ale or glass of Champagne with their beer-battered fish or lobster, gourmet fennel & chilli squid with guacamole or potted shrimp with melba toast.
“We also rumble and cut our own chips from time to time and the flavour of Lord Chips is easily comparable, there is never any problem with change of flavour.”
“The secret to our success at Russell’s is our staff, consistency, buying the right products and selling them at the right price,” explained restaurant owner Andrew Riley. “We put lots of things on the menu but most people want cod and everyone wants chips. Chips are a big part of our business so we’ve got to get it right.”
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“The perfect chip for me is fluffy inside, crispy on the outside, and as fresh as possible and Lord Chips really do taste and look as good as homemade chips” enthuses restaurant manager Ross Cameron.
Responding to caterers demand for different styles of fries to suit a range of tastes - longer, crunchier, healthier or more rustic styles - Aviko gives operators a great opportunity to trade-up their fries to create a real point of difference - as well as a higher mark-up. Aviko’s frozen choices include Superlong, Supercrunch, Sweet Potato Fries and gluten-free potato wedges. They come in a variety of flavours - from fiery Tex Mex to Garlic & Herb.
SALMON IS ANOTHER UK favourite that looks set for expansion. Recently, Grimsby-based Faroe Seafood UK Ltd became part of the Bakkafrost Group, the largest farmed salmon company in the Faroe Island. Bakkafrost is now eyeing growth and although the companies are still undergoing integration, Faroe says the move is a ‘significant development that will eventually have a major influence on the UK frozen salmon market’. As the last step of the integration into the Group, Faroe will finally change its UK company name to Bakkafrost UK Ltd. Torkil Davidsen, head of UK operations, says it is a development which has given him a great deal of personal satisfaction. He said, “We are looking for forward to a successful future because we now have stability and a security of supply which was not there before.” The two businesses had been working together prior to the acquisition with Faroe, whose main products are white fish and prawns, helping to sell some Bakkafrost products in the UK, in particular salmon. One of the great strengths of
Faroese salmon is its exceptionally high quality, for which it is renowned across the world. Post merger, the company’s focus will be very much on frozen salmon portions (skinless, boneless and vacuum packed). It will also continue to sell fresh whole salmon. Torkil said, “Frozen salmon portions are our great strength, so that will be the emphasis in the future. We sell direct to our customers in the UK which include wholesalers and cash
and carry outlets. But we are also looking at the home delivery sector which is showing impressive signs of growth in the UK, and we have not ruled out entering the retail market at some point. We also sell on a long term contract basis and at fixed prices which, considering the way fresh salmon prices have been moving recently, gives our customers price stability, and it allows them to plan ahead.”
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THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014 23
Continental Seafoods is the trading division for both fresh and frozen fish & seafood products, globally sourced – Prawns & Crayfish in Brine, Value Added Shellfish, King Crab, Madagascan Wild Prawns, Fresh & Frozen White Fish, Warm & Cold Water Prawns to name but a few.
Continental Food to Go comprises a range of products destined for the Food To Go arena within retail and foodservice – Value Added Meat & Poultry - including Breaded & Battered Chicken Fillets, Goujons & Bites and Frozen Hot Dogs. Value Added Fish & Seafood - Including Breaded & Battered Prawns, Oriental Snack Packs & Ethnic Snacking Ranges.
Continental Deli specialises in chilled Mediterranean Antipasti to supply to both the retail, hospitality and catering markets - Paprini filled with cream cheese, Grilled Artichokes, Red & Green Diabolos, Patisson Pumpkins filled with a Jalapeno Cream, Spicy Mini Squid, Stuffed Vine Leaves .... to name but a few of these mouthwatering delicacies.
Diagnostics
Continental Diagnostics a division devoted to drugs of abuse and alcohol testing kits – oral swab test kits; ideally placed for the food manufacturing and logistics industry regarding drug & alcohol abuse in the workplace – safe, dignified, easy & quick to use, results within 10 minutes, no outside agencies involved, full chain of custody, extremely cost effective.
To find out more please contact Brian Pound or Jude Ashworth on
01772 653236 or on
info@bjpenterprises.co.uk BJP Enterprises Ltd
@bjpenterprises
www.bjpenterprises.co.uk
FEATURE ACTIVELY PROMOTING THE use of more fish in foodservice is Young’s Seafood. Described as the next generation of fish finger, Young’s Seafood has launched The Ultimate Foodservice Fish Finger under its Ross brand. The Ultimate Foodservice Fish Finger is the only one available that can boast to being wheat, gluten and dairy free, and also a natural source of Omega-3. In addition, The Ultimate Foodservice Fish Finger contains sustainably sourced, MSC certified fish, wrapped in a crispy non-fried coating, to give a satisfying crunch with each bite.
The Bulletin
“In creating The Ultimate Foodservice Fish Finger, Young’s has developed a unique product that ticks all the right boxes when it comes to educational guidelines,” said Clarke. “By ensuring, for the first time, that the product is wheat, gluten and dairy free we have produced a fish finger that will give caterers complete peace of mind, no matter
what allergies exist amongst the children. This is why we are proud to call it The Ultimate Fish Finger in foodservice.” In addition to The Ultimate Foodservice Fish Finger, Young’s has also introduced the Ultimate Foodservice Fishcake with all the same free-from benefits.
Developed exclusively for the education sector, the Ultimate Foodservice Fish Finger meets the very latest nutritional guidelines. Simon Clarke, Foodservice Group Director at Young’s Seafood Limited, says the unique offering is an important launch for school cooks having to cater for a range of allergies.
THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014 25
FEATURE
The Bulletin
Cold Prawns get Warmer Welcome Helping customers understand the difference between cold water prawns versus their warm water cousins could help grow the Atlantic seafood market. WHILST THERE’S BEEN lots of media coverage on fishing and the sourcing and certification of sustainable species, there remains confusion and lack of knowledge over certain fish products, and that includes cold water prawns. “The UK shellfish market is worth £500 million annually (Nielsen Scantract Total Market: 52 we 12 Oct 13). With chilled dominating the sector at 65% of sales, it is the key performing category,” says Henrik Thune Cordsen, product manager (cooked and peeled) of Royal Greenland. “For the foodservice sector, fried fish dominates, with 33% of the sector share. This is closely followed by seafood sandwiches - tuna and prawn.” Henrik admits it’s been a challenging time for cold water prawns. “As price increases are affected by lack of supply due to diminishing quotas, and rising water temperatures which are forcing cold water prawns into colder northerly waters where there is less fishing cold water prawns are losing valuable market share to warm water counterparts,” he explains. As a global leader in cold water prawns, Royal Greenland’s priority was to gain an understanding of how cold prawns were perceived by the consumer and why sales volumes were decreasing in the UK. It teamed up with Seafish to undertake crucial research in the sector. The research entailed in-depth interviews with three members of the ‘trade’ - people who work in the seafood industry - to 26 THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014
find out their views on what they feel are the barriers to consumption of cold water prawns. It worked closely with a blogging panel for a six-week period. The bloggers consisted of four food and four family bloggers. “We decided to take this longer-term view in order to fully explore the usage and attitudes towards cold water prawns in a range of dining situations and occasions.” “Arguably one of the most valuable results from the research was the insight that consumers did not really understand that there was a difference between warm water and cold water prawns,” added Henrik Thune Cordsen. “Consumers believed a prawn was a prawn and therefore should be judged and cooked in the same way. This lack of knowledge will of course lead to disappointment when cold water prawns are cooked in unsuitable ways and will give the consumer a poor experience, further fuelling the negative perception around cold water prawns.” The research findings also brought to light that consumers had the general misconception that the larger the prawn, the better quality it is and better value it represents - which is simply not the case. Panel bloggers were tasked to use the cold water prawns in the way they should be cooked, the results were extremely positive. Many were surprised at how tasty the prawns were and all commented on the sweet, delicate ‘prawn’ flavour that is not always present with larger warm water varieties.
“Therefore, we as an industry need to do more to educate the consumer that prawns are different and therefore should be treated in different ways. Cold water prawns and warm water prawns need to be thought about as two very different species and need to be prepared and cooked in very different ways,” said Henrik, adding that Royal Greenland has invested in a trade PR campaign to do exactly that. “We want chefs and caterers to understand the benefits of using cold water prawns; from cost to environmental savings and to demonstrate that the cold water prawn has not ‘had its day’, but that it’s ready for 2014 and can be easily adapted into the food trends that we see on the horizon, such as Brazilian flavours and sharing.” To lead a change in the cold water prawn industry and convince consumers that the product is exciting and innovative, Royal Greenland launched a new luxurious, healthier product - Royal Greenland Gourmet Prawns. This is a chilled product for the foodservice market, using wild-caught prawns from the depths of North Atlantic. These MSCcertified prawns are then processed, using a combination of traditional and hand-crafted technologies and advanced state-of-the-art equipment. The prawns are preserved in a newly-developed brine with a lower amount of salt (1.4%) compared to the industry standard (2.6%). This not only provides a healthier product, but it also gives a milder taste that doesn’t mask the sweet flavour of the Greenlandic prawns.
Food trends made easy... Sharing platters and all day grazing is here to stay as customers move towards a more casual dining experience. Sharing platters and small eats have been predicted to rise in popularity over the next 2-3 years along with a fast order to table time, good value and transparent food sourcing. Paramount are at the forefront of understanding and predicting these trends. We develop award winning premium seafood and vegetarian products to meet the needs of your business saving you time, waste and money. To find out more about our products and the latest food trends, and to get your FREE copy of our ON TREND book, email marketing@paramount21.co.uk
See our website for details of our great taste awards
Scan the code to see a video of how we catch our prawns
Royal Greenland Cold Water Prawns - MSC certification and new bag size - same high quality Royal Greenland re-launches its branded Premium Luxury prawn range in a redesigned 2 kg bag bearing also the MSC eco-label to certify sustainable fishery to customers. Fishing has always been important for the Greenlandic society, for which reason the appreciation and respect for natural resources lies deeply rooted in our conduct. This tradition for sustainable fishing is the foundation for the recent MSC certification that documents the sustainability of the West Greenlandic prawn fishery. The re-launch includes the same high quality wild caught single frozen prawns as before, in the four well known prawn size bags differentiated by their different coloured stripes. The bag size is changed from 2,5 kg to 2 kg whereas the master unit size remains 10 kg. A true delicacy for a wealth of occasions…
For more information, please contact: Royal Greenland · Sinclair House, Station Road · Cheadle Hulme, Cheadle · SK8 5AF Cheshire Phone: +44 (0) 1614858385 · Fax: +44 (0) 1614869106 www.royalgreenland.com
SPONSORS ADVERTORIAL
Champions of the North Atlantic FOR 14 YEARS, frozen food veteran Tony Wheatley has been UK managing director of Royal Greenland. With a frozen food career spanning 40 years, Tony’s role has been dedicated to building the brand in foodservice, highlighting the benefits and the quality of the product and pushing forward the global strategy to increase retail sales. Tony’s career has seen him work with some of the most influential food businesses in the industry. He’s sat on the boards at Seafish and the Shellfish association, and as a 20 year BFFF member, his knowledge and experience has helped to shape the frozen food industry into what it is today. Tony retires at the end of March. Although he will keep his toe firmly dipped in the water of the seafood industry, he plans to spend time with his grandson and to explore the world with his wife. A lot can change in 14 years. The UK was hit by recession, making consumers more price-sensitive. Reduced supply of CWPs and increased competition from warm water prawn (WWPs) varieties has changed the prawn market and consumption. With the appointment of new UK managing
Royal Greenland is one of the world’s largest seafood suppliers. In the UK, Royal Greenland is known for its branded cold water prawns (CWPs) - currently supplying 600 tonnes to the foodservice market every Tony Wheatley (left) with Brian Young
year - and Cod and Halibut from around Greenland.
director, Randall Jennings, Royal Greenland announces its new global and UK strategy; The North Atlantic Champion. Randall Jennings, joins Royal Greenland with over 20 years’ experience in the FMCG industry. During his food career, Randall has worked with luxury and commodity products in both retail and foodservice sectors. The North Atlantic Champion strategy focuses on Royal Greenland’s roots, concentrating on fish and seafood caught from the shores of the North Atlantic, in order to channel its energy on products. As a vertically integrated company it has complete control and traceability from catch to customer - a must in today’s market. Royal Greenland has undertaken numerous research projects to further understand consumer perceptions of CWPs. It was concluded that many consumers do not understand the differences between WWPs and CWPs, therefore cook with and treat both varieties in the same way. Consumers often over-cook CWPs, resulting in disappointing, rubbery and tasteless prawn flesh. This lack of understanding from the consumer has meant that WWPs and CWPs have been judged on non-evaluative attributes - usually the size of the prawn - which is not an
indicator of quality or taste. At the International Cold Water Prawn Forum, Royal Greenland’s CEO Mikael Thinghuus commented that the industry is a “prisoner of its own perceptions”. He urged that more needed to be done by the industry to re-invigorate the sector and encourage more people to eat CWPs the way in which they should be prepared and eaten. Randall Jennings concludes: “In order to educate the wider public we’ve undertaken a PR campaign, designed to communicate the benefits that CWPs can offer the foodservice industry. “Our competitive advantage lies in the quality of our product and the level of expertise of our people. As a vertically integrated company, we have ultimate control over our supply chain, which ensures only sustainable and high quality products are badged as ‘Royal Greenland’. “A key part of my role in the UK will be to communicate the taste and quality benefits of our CWPs to consumers and foodservice operators, so they can be considered as a ‘center of plate’ option.”
www.royalgreenland.com
1 BFFF Business Conference & Exhibition 2014
Frozen Comes in from the Cold
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Leaders of the frozen food industry debated the sector’s challenges and opportunities at the 4th BFFF Business Conference & Exhibition in February which attracted an audience of 215 delegates, 14 exhibitors and 10 sponsors. AFTER A YEAR that many in the frozen food industry were glad to see the back of, the 2014 BFFF Business Conference proved to be the perfect opportunity for reflection on the lessons of ‘horsegate’, and for sharing ideas on how to build a stronger and more profitable future. This year’s conference asked the question ‘Are Consumers Coming in from the Cold?’ with major topics that included the economic 30 THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014
recovery, the after-effects of the horse meat fraud in 2013 and the food supply chain. According to top speakers, it was broadly agreed that the food industry must collaborate more and share information in order to win back consumer trust. Opening the conference at the Chesford Grange in the heart of England on February 20, BFFF Director-General Brian Young outlined the BFFF’s promotional plans for the year ahead.
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He said that - despite ‘horsegate’ - there is increasing proof that consumers’ perceptions of frozen food is improving - a positive trend helped by celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver endorsing the use of frozen ingredients. Brian Young said: “Much has been achieved since 2010 but much remains to be done. Our promotion campaign will continue as a core activity to promote our key messages: Locked-in goodness, minimal waste and value for money.”
BFFF Business Conference & Exhibition 2014
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In 2014, the BFFF is focussing on changing chefs’ perceptions of frozen as a premium product in foodservice with a national student competition targeting chefs at the start of their careers before they get any misconceptions about frozen. Targeting consumers, the BFFF is also launching a ‘Make Friends with Your Freezer Content Creation Campaign’ to encourage the purchase of ready frozen foods over home freezing and highlighting the benefits in terms of quality, saving money and cutting food waste. The BFFF is also studying the role frozen food can play in the food security debate as it believes sustainability will move back up the media and political agenda as the economy improves. Over 120 companies attended the annual conference as the BFFF built on the success of previous year’s conferences with a programme spanning major issues affecting both foodservice and retail sectors. Speakers included industry experts from brands, wholesalers, retailers and research. The conference was chaired by Clive Beddall, OBE, and former editor of The Grocer. Speakers, including ASDA head of food, Darina Hall, Dr Oetker (UK) managing director Peter Franks and Martin Forsyth,
director of technical food services at Bidvest 3663, debated the question “Has Consumer Confidence returned to the Food Industry?” (see page 34 to 36 for more details). They agreed that following criminal activity in early 2013, sales of processed red meat have returned to pre-crisis levels. However, they argued that consumer trust remains fragile and agreed that the industry must work together to ensure full transparency across the entire supply chain. In a following panel discussion on rebuilding trust after ‘horsegate’, Brian Young said: “The UK cold chain is the most sophisticated in Europe. It’s the people on the outside and the fringe that don’t live up to these standards that cause the problems. It’s up to the industry to work together and get that message to the media and the consumer.” Oliver Cock, managing director-commercial, Compass Group UK & Ireland Ltd, and Peter Allan, general manager and director of Cargill Meats Europe debated “Should Supply Chains be British?” (see pages 38 to 40 for more details). They examined the merits of 100% British supply chains and the consequences of shorter, less complicated supply chains for both the consumer and industry. Both agreed
10 1 215 delegates attended the conference 2 Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE 3 BFFF Director-General Brian Young 4 Darina Hall, ASDA 5 Oliver Cock, Compass Group UK & Ireland Ltd 6 Conference delegates 7 Economist Roger Martin-Fagg 8 Peter Allan, Cargill Meats 9 Martin Forsyth, Bidvest 3663 10 Peter Backman, Horizons Foodservice
that British provenance was not the main driver for consumers and that the quality and ethics of the supply chain was a much higher concern. Ian Crawford, Group Commercial Director, Bidvest 3663 said: “I believe the conference speakers provided an honest and realistic assessment of the practical challenges faced post "horsegate" and in successfully implementing a "Buy British" policy. An excellent day with a good depth of speakers, great facilities and good organisation.” Green shoots in the economy in retail and foodservice meant more positive data and insights from experts economist Roger MartinFagg, Horizons Foodservice chief executive Peter Backman and Chris Longbottom at Kantar Worldpannel (see pages 41 to 42 for more details). Roger Martin-Fagg told delegates that the outlook for the economy had started to improve and there were positive signs of growth on the horizon for the food industry. Peter Backman gave an update of the foodservice scene and the changing patterns of eating out with casual dining, pubs and healthy ‘grab and go’ all showing growth - and THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014 31
1 opportunities in premiumisation, sharing, world cuisine and miniaturisation. Chris Longbottom gave an overview of frozen food’s performance in retail including the burger bounce-back, the long slow recovery in readymeals - and the surprising opportunities for frozen in online grocery shopping. Brian Young said: “There seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel in terms of consumer confidence. After several years of economic difficulty and food fraud last year, consumers are starting to feel more confident in the food industry, the foodservice industry is seeing slow growth and retail spending is expected to increase.” He continued: “This poses both a challenge and an opportunity for the frozen industry - the onus is now on us to discourage consumers from reverting to old habits. We must embrace NPD and demonstrate traceability across the industry to ensure the growth frozen has seen during difficult times does not fall by the wayside as the economy improves.” Ending the conference, explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, OBE presented a singularly memorable keynote session on his extraordinary life - he is the only man alive to have travelled around the earth’s circumpolar surface. He shared significant insights on how to survive in a harsh environment - a crucial learning for today’s businessmen and women. Asked by a delegate on how he finds his motivation to survive, Sir Ranulph said that: “It’s the total of everything that has happened to you since you were born and how you reacted to it.” Sir Ranulph, who also said that climbing Everest was easier than raising the money to do it, has, through his foundation, raised over £16 million for UK charities. Jonathan Baker, Group Commercial Director, Yearsley Group said: “I enjoyed the day and evening - especially Sir Ranulph Fiennes who 32 THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014
I thought was without doubt the best speaker I've ever heard. The event was very well organised.” The BFFF Business Conference & Exhibition brought together producers, suppliers, distribution and supply chains, and retailers. It provided a unique environment for companies to showcase their products and services and network with peers. A pre-conference dinner was attended by 60 delegates and 120 came to the conference dinner. This year’s event was supported by 10 sponsors, the main sponsor being Daregal Gourmet. In food, Bells of Lazonby supplied cakes for afternoon break, The Authentic Food Company catered the conference lunch with Ercolano (UK) Ltd providing dessert. Lantmannen Unibake supplied morning goods at arrival and mid-morning break and GRG Recruitment supplied the mugs. At the conference dinner, Tipiak provided pre-dinner canapés whilst Coppenrath & Wiese did dessert. Cold Move supplied the delegate bags and Reed Boardall the lanyards. Over 14 exhibitors supported the conference including the Authentic Food Company, Buhler Sortex, Chalcroft Construction, Cromwell Group, Daregal Gourmet, The Food Advanced Training Partnership, Golden Valley Pallet Wrap Specialists, HANNA-Fenikost, ISD Solutions, Rick Bestwick, Royal Greenland, SSI Schaefer, Storax Racking Systems and Way Forward Technologies UK. Ian Stone, Business Development Director, Apetito Ltd, said: “An excellent event. I have attended all four Business Conferences and I can honestly say that each year the standard of the conference has improved. The conference is now, for me, a must-attend event!’
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1 (l-r) Darina Hall, Peter Franks, Martin Forsyth, Brian Young 2 Peter Franks, Dr Oetker 3 Clive Bedall OBE, conference chair 4 Chris Longbottom, Kantar Worldpanel
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Thawing Consumer Attitudes To Frozen Has consumer confidence returned to the food industry after last year’s ‘horsegate’ scandal where criminal activity contaminated the supply chain? ASDA head of food, Darina Hall, Dr Oetker (UK) managing director Peter Franks and Martin Forsyth, director of technical food services at Bidvest 3663, shared their views at the BFFF Business Conference. LAST YEAR CONSUMER confidence in the integrity of manufacturers, wholesalers, suppliers and retailers was shaken to its core. The investigations into how criminals got horsemeat into UK foods revealed a modern food supply chain whose complexities were unfathomable to the man in the street raising questions and concerns about how companies could possibly authenticate source content with any degree of accuracy. With frozen ready meals and burgers firmly in the spotlight during this testing time, the frozen food industry has worked hard in the past 12 months to plant the seeds of recovery. ASDA head of food, Darina Hall, Dr Oetker (UK) managing director Peter Franks and Martin 34 THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014
Forsyth, director of technical food services at Bidvest 3663, all broadly agreed that sales of processed red meat have returned to pre-crisis levels. However, they argued that consumer trust remains fragile and urged the industry to work together to ensure full transparency across the entire supply chain. Without doubt UK’s retailers bore the brunt of consumers loss of trust. ASDA’s Darina Hall, who began her career at the supermarket giant in frozen food, told the conference that to deal with the breach of trust in supply chain they had to think of the 20 million shoppers who visit ASDA each week. “We took a ‘belt and braces’ approach. We told our customers what we knew, took food off the shelves and
published the results of tests on our website.” Rebuilding trust as an industry requires bolder steps, she said. The top two recommendations of the interim Elliott Report are consumer confidence and Food Safety and Food Crime Prevention, she said, which requires collaboration and work across the industry including suppliers, manufacturers and producers. “It underlines ASDA’s philosophy of providing ‘quality they can trust at prices they can afford,” she added. Ms Hall noted that the cost of living is set to increase by 17.6% by 2018 which means customers have to balance money, time and
BFFF Business Conference & Exhibition 2014
‘Doing the Right Thing’ for our customers is a priority. We want to go beyond issues and be more innovative and more proactive to build trust with consumers. Darina Hall, ASDA head of food
We have to be good as an industry. Traceability and transparency is important but so is inspiration.
Peter Franks, managing director of Dr Oetker
Overall we endorse the set of standards [noted in the interim Elliott report] and we are involved in writing them. They will not suit everyone but they are designed to sort out the wheat from the chaff after all. Martin Forsyth, director of technical food services at Bidvest 3663
convenience. Added to this pressure is the fact that 56% of shoppers want to know more about where food comes from as opposed to 36% two years ago - a trend that had begun before ‘horsegate’. “ASDA was responding to this trend already but the scandal made us relook what we do and how we are doing it. As an industry, we are responsible for trust, transparency and traceability together. Retailers and manufacturers have to step up. If it’s your brand, if it has your name on it, you should know what’s in it.” As a result, ASDA has been examining its supply chains to see what it could cut out, remove ‘middle-men’ where possible and cut down on touchpoints. It’s also been examining storage accreditation especially off-site so it knows products are in safe storage. It has limited its beef suppliers to British and Irish - clearly labelled on its ready-meals and burgers.
ASDA is conducting and pursuing a policy of ‘unannounced audits’ of suppliers and its stores, because the industry has changed and needs to deal with the issue of fraud as well as food safety. To do that effectively it needs to adapt and collaborate. Ms Hall said, “We know that’s extra pressure on suppliers and we are working with suppliers to see how single audits could work. ‘Doing the Right Thing’ for our customers is a priority. We want to go beyond issues and be more innovative and more proactive to build trust with consumers. “It’s a tide that will usher in new players, unhindered by the thinking of the past. And yet the best of the old world will adapt. The very best already have,” she concluded. For manufacturers, food scandals pose a double threat as the impact affects both their relationship with consumers and with their retail partners. Peter Franks managing director
of Dr Oetker (UK), the nation’s biggest pizza brand, shared insights about how to recover from last year’s food scandal and learn from it. “Quality is the best remedy,” said Peter Franks. “At Dr Oetker, we are obsessed with quality, in our business, in our people, in our products and how we can find better ways of doing business. I was very proud of our response to the crisis.” He notes that all players must be aware of the changes sweeping the industry. Consumer behaviour has changed over the past few years. He said they increasingly only buy what’s on the list and are actively reducing food waste. They seek out what’s new, hunt for value online and off in an evolving channel mix, shopping more frequently and preferring smaller shops to hypermarkets. Quality, he says, has grown in importance with shoppers from 28% to 35%. The industry needs to provide both quality and price. THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014 35
“Overall they are valuing food more and that’s something we can’t ignore. We have to be good as an industry. Traceability and transparency is important but so is inspiration. As an industry we are competing for a share of stomach,” said Mr Franks. Shoppers have high expectations of the levels of traceability in the food and grocery industry. Mr Franks said eight out of 10 shoppers expect that the industry knows where food comes from, how it’s made and be able to show provenance. Mr Franks revealed concern about what he calls the ‘frozen food stigma’ that means frozen carries a heavier burden of blame even when a food scandal involves fresh and chilled products - and that food ‘scares’ impact on frozen more than other food areas. The slowing growth of frozen food in the UK in the last decade is also a cause for concern (IGD research, *Marketsandmarkets, 2010) as shoppers are preferring fresh and chilled ranges. He says the frozen food industry needs to better promote its tremendous advantage: delivering the triple benefits value (e.g. price and a solution to home waste levels), premium ingredients and convenience.
whenever blind tastings are conducted, frozen always wins. As a result, Dr Oetker has launched more new and innovative ranges such as its Panebello deep-crust pizzas. “The outlook is optimistic but we need to recognise that we have a value challenge not just price challenge. We need to be innovative in our products, address the multi-channel challenge and carry on building and renewing consumer trust. Quality really is the best recipe,” he concluded. For the foodservice industry, ‘horsegate’ came just as the out of home sector was beginning to recover from the recession. Major foodservice wholesaler, Bidvest 3663 took over 1,000 calls at its Central Advice Centre from anxious customers - 40 in the first few minutes of the story breaking. Martin Forsyth, director of technical food services at Bidvest 3663 said although its sales have now recovered, ‘horsegate’ was ‘hell’. In total the company conducted 218 speciation tests for horse meat, had 180 quarantines and created a Greenlight/Positive Release System. Overall, it had one own brand product test positive for horse and three lots of branded products test positive for horse.
The frozen food industry needs to work harder with retailers to improve the ‘cold, stark and lifeless’ frozen aisles in supermarkets and overcome the challenges of marketing and selling frozen products. “It’s harder for us to do POS and in-store promotions but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. We must be more innovative with our products to remain relevant and also in how we market and sell them to compete with fierce competition from private label ranges and the chilled market.”
To move forward and rebuild trust, Bidvest 3663 undertook a complete review of meat sourcing with several new policies and procedures from risk assessing raw material suppliers - finding out what other species are slaughtered on site - risk assessing suppliers and finished product. The company restricted its chain of supply and number of supply points to a core, tightened the certification of Halal/MSC/BRC/ISO operations, challenged product claim assessments and increased raw material and finished product testing.
Frozen pizza is suffering, he said, at the expense of fresh and chilled products - yet
Despite its best efforts, Mr Forsyth says history tells us that there will be other issues.
36 THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014
He cited a catalogue of fraudulent claims that have beset and continue to dog the industry from organic to non organic, country of origin, free range eggs and so on. “If you want to know where the next scandal will come from, look at test development and you’ll see what they’ll be investigating next,” he said. However, fraud is not the biggest issue facing the food industry in terms of keeping consumer trust, according to Mr Forsyth. “Cross-over during processing and the mixing up of ingredients is a huge issue in terms of consumers’ ‘need to know’ when it comes to ingredients, traceability and transparency. Going forward, we may need to develop totally separate supply chains for kosher, muslim, vegetarianism, alcohol, and allergens,” he said. For example, 70% of beef samples tested by FSA contained pork. In addition, there’s no legal definition of what is fraudulent and what is acceptable cross over between species. In Ireland it’s 0.1% versus 1% in UK. Mr Forsyth highlighted the potential problems for detecting trace elements once testing becomes even more detailed. To build customer and ultimately consumer trust, he suggests that the industry be more questioning on deals, and ask for more verification on testing. He recommends that every food business should: establish a testing programme (however limited), know their suppliers, question ‘deals’, assess cleaning and cross contamination risk, and review the evidence for all product claims and chase it through. Audits and accreditation are vital. “This is about trust and ensuring a minimum standard without adding to the number of audits. Overall we endorse the set of standards [noted in the interim Elliott report] and we are involved in writing them. They will not suit everyone but they are designed to sort out the wheat from the chaff after all.”
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What’s in Store for 2014?
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Chris Longbottom, Kantar Worldpanel Economist Roger Martin-Fagg Peter Backman, Chief Executive, Horizons Foodservice
Green shoots in the economy are impacting on retail and foodservice reflected in more positive data all round. Economist Roger Martin–Fagg, Horizons Foodservice chief executive Peter Backman and Chris Longbottom at Kantar Worldpanel shared their insights on what the numbers might mean for the industry in 2014. THE OUTLOOK FOR the economy has started to improve and there are positive signs of growth on the horizon for the food industry. This was the message from buoyant economist Roger Martin-Fagg to the BFFF conference. Mr Martin-Fagg supported his message with key indicators such as the fact that in November UK bank’s net lending was positive after three years of contraction - which means an increase of money in the system. Retail sales have also been picking up since last April. Last year’s good summer helped as did a good performance in December. With manufacturing, construction and services all moving up the growth charts, there are more reasons to smile even though construction and manufacturing have a long way to go to match pre-recession levels of 2007. Services have already recovered to their pre-recession level. With less doom and gloom in the media over the economy, confidence is rising. Although our exports outside Europe are growing in importance, Europe still takes 42% 38 THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014
of UK exports and the market remains flat. Not so the US. Fuelled by a 30% drop in household energy bills, it’s economy is roaring ahead. For 2014, he forecasts that the Base rate will stay at 0.5%, but will have gone up to 2.25% by the end of 2016. He believes wages could increase by 3% - if they go up by 4% and above, then interest rates will rise in mid-2015. House prices will rise 5% outside central London. Unemployment will fall to below 7% but will not trigger interest rate increases. Inflation will be 2.5% and he predicts consumer spending will grow at 3%. Overall GDP in real terms will grow 2% and bank net lending will rise by 3%. In terms of the world economy, he puts Eurozone growth at under 1%, US 2.8%, China 5%, India 5%, Canada 2.3% and Australia 2.5% with world growth at an average of 2.8%. He predicts that commodity prices will be flat or falling in 2014. He explained that wheat stocks are high, more US and Northern Europe acreage planted, and government measures reducing speculative buying are in place. He expects oil prices will
begin to move towards $60 a barrel. On exchange rates, he predicts the US dollar will stay at $1.60 to the pound, rise 5% against the Euro Sterling will average 1.18 against the Euro Sterling will average 1.90 against the Aussie dollar. Horizons Foodservice chief executive Peter Backman gave an update on the upswing in the foodservice sector as consumers finally start dining out again. He notes that while recovery is slow the new dawn may not be far away. Dining out patterns are changing with more people eating out, but doing so less often and spending more on each occasion. This means the whole market is expanding, but slowly. Other notable foodservice trends are the move by supermarkets to get into restaurants and cafés to drive customers to stores, typified by Tesco’s purchase of Giraffe and artisan coffee shop chain Harris + Hoole. Mr Backman notes that other large retailers could adopt the same model.
For 2013, Horizons’ data reveal restaurants, leisure centres and QSR as best performers with pubs and catering outlets [staff canteens, healthcare and education] all suffering from falling volumes. Frozen food is also struggling to hold its own against fresh and chilled. Frozen along with ambient and chilled all reported lower volumes of sales to the hospitality sector - only fresh recorded growth. Small wholesalers, he says, are struggling to keep up with demand from customers for fresh deliveries. “With consumer confidence now higher than it has been since 2006, consumers may be ready to start spending but they are now hardwired to look for value,” he said. “Meal deals are now an everyday feature not a special event. While vouchers are good for boosting footfall.” Successes in the retail sector include casual dining, pubs and healthy ‘grab and go’ which are all showing growth. New trends and opportunities are in premiumisation, miniaturisation, sharing concepts, world cuisine (Asian, South American and Mexican) with chains taking over sectors - like world cuisines - previously dominated by independents. His five top tips for 2014 are to: invest in branding, focus on service, be small, quick and personal, redefine your markets, and offer value not low prices. Chris Longbottom, director, Kantar Worldpanel, gave the conference an overview of frozen food’s
performance in retail including insights into the burger bounce-back, the long slow recovery in ready-meals - and the surprising opportunities for frozen in online grocery shopping. Post-horsegate, the frozen burger market collapsed dropping 41%. However by September it had spectacularly recovered, almost to pre-crisis levels according to Mr Longbotton. Not so for the other hardest hit sector, frozen ready meals which dropped 15% to 20% and is yet to recover. For 2013 as a whole, frozen was up by value +2.5% driven by pricing +2.7% with volume more or less flat at -0.2%. Pricing down from +5.4% March 2012 which temporarily boosted Frozen’s Annual Value Growth. In comparison, the fresh food market suffered higher pricing in 2013 driving value up but volume growth down to below ambient, but not as low as frozen. Mr Longbottom believes that as a sector frozen has lagged behind with sluggish growth for the past 20 years, whilst ambient has grown well and fresh and chilled has soared. In 2013, top frozen sellers were poultry, meat-free, ice cream (due to the super summer) and vegetables. Potato products also grew in value driven by harvests and new product development, a driver for sausages also. Desserts volume also grew more than value. With frozen’s heartland being the younger mass-market homes with children, many drifted towards price-focussed retailers as
this is the group being squeezed most in the current economic climate. For frozen, best performing retailers were Iceland, Sainsburys, Farmfoods, Waitrose and Discounters. This mirrors the total grocery market and its squeeze on the middle ground. Losers were Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, Cooperative - whose sales of frozen fell. Six per cent of frozen foods are now bought online, up 16% yr/yr. Nearly 1 in 5 homes bought frozen foods online in 2013. Mr Longbottom outlined a real opportunity to sell frozen online as it is bulky, hard to handle and a regular automatic buy. He believes there’s an opportunity to overcome some of the in-store challenges of selling frozen with no barrier from the freezer cabinet to get in the way and an opportunity to browse new products as there’s a wide range of frozen online. Aldi, Iceland, Sainsburys, Farmfoods, Waitrose and Asda are all delivering growth in frozen food - and items such as poultry, meat, confectionery, and fish are all significantly overtrading online compared to in-store. Research shows that shoppers are trading down, saving more through deals, switching to own-label alternatives and shopping more fascias more often. For 2014, Kantar predicts there’ll be no change to the above, however confidence will remain weak. The recovery will be slow to affect grocery with continued pressure to trade down until wages start to rise. Own brands will continue to grow fuelled by retailer range development and multiformats will become increasingly important.
Delegates visited the exhibition and used breaks for networking
40 THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014
BFFF Business Conference & Exhibition 2014
Is British Best when it comes to Food Supply Chains?
Oliver Cock, managing director-commercial, Compass Group UK & Ireland Ltd
Last year’s ‘horsegate’ crisis put the food industry’s complex international supply chains under the microscope. Could criminality and fraud be better controlled if food supply chains were British only? Is fresh and local an unbeatable proposition? OLIVER COCK, MANAGING directorcommercial, Compass Group UK & Ireland Ltd and Peter Allan, general manager and director of Cargill Meats Europe, were put in the hot seat at the BFFF Business Conference tasked to debate ‘Should Supply Chains be British?’ They examined the merits of 100% British supply chains and the consequences of shorter, less complicated supply chains for both the consumer and industry. Both agreed that British provenance was not the main driver for consumers and that the quality and ethics of the supply chain was a much higher concern.
2012, and 37% saying they would pay more for meals in places where there were clear ethical practices, the food supply chain’s importance to customers is huge and growing.
Mr Cock said that Compass Group keeps its supply chain British when it can because ‘it feels more comfortable’ plus shorter supply chains have many benefits. “The changes we have made have already removed over four million food miles from the UK transport network, reducing our carbon emissions by 6,000 tonnes a year,” he shared.
Provenance, animal and human welfare were the three most important factors in the food supply chain according to customers. However, he said views were polarised. They want British when they can get but they also want quality and price, he said. “Some don’t care where the food is from, for others ‘British’ wasn’t local enough - they want food to come from their region or from sources as close to them as possible.”
Accountability throughout the supply chain was the key issue. He said with 74% of consumers agreeing that there should be more transparency about sustainable practices of eating out establishments, up from 65% in
Mr Cock explained that Compass Group’s supply chain sources direct from growers, manufacturers and producers across the UK and beyond. It operates a number of category specific routes to market across the UK - e.g. sandwiches, alcohol, fresh fish and where beneficial it also manages direct deliveries from suppliers into its units e.g. Day 1 for Day 2 requirements.
The combination of these three issues is at the core of Compass Group’s Sustainable Sourcing Policy launched in 2012. In February 2013,
Peter Allan, General Manager, Cargill Meats Europe
Compass further tightened and detailed its standards. Now it sells only processed beef that’s reared, slaughtered and processed in UK & Ireland. For meat and poultry products, all stages of supply chain must come from fully audited facilities - not just traceable ones. It has eliminated the use of “blended” products and insists suppliers must carry out their own all species DNA tests. In addition, Compass now randomly undertakes all species DNA tests. Mr Cock said: “What is a supply chain? It’s not just about distribution. Being British and local doesn’t solve the problem - just because he’s the local butcher doesn’t mean he knows where the beef comes from. We have to be able to go back to the cow, where it was reared, the primary and secondary processing,” he said. “The UK doesn’t have the capability to produce all the food we need and there’s great quality produce outside the UK. What’s really important to ‘Gen Y’ is integrity. It’s not just about provenance it’s about traceability, integrity and great cost.” Customers were again the focus of the presentation from Cargill’s Peter Allan. Cargill’s viewpoint is that limitations on exports and food embargoes interfere with economic THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014 41
development and growth. But how then do global supply chains act as a friend of the consumer, given the supply chain paradox and the demand for local, fresh supply? “It’s a myth that you can get better stuff locally. What’s produced in Thailand and Brazil can put the EU to shame,” he said. “Lower cost options doesn’t mean low quality options. And those costs are increasing as universal prices of feed affect all producers and narrows the differences.” Over the next 10 years, poultry is expected to show the most substantial global growth. In the EU, he said although there is growing demand for locally produced poultry, one in three breast meat servings - both fresh and frozen - come from imports outside the EU. Mr Allan said that the key issue is not whether global supply chains are problematic - it’s how they are used. He quoted his CEO Greg Page who said: “Supply chains are not complicated, just extensive and must be carefully mapped out, piece by piece, to provide clarity around value and integrity...” What is needed to fight the threat of
corruption in the global supply chain is not a local-only supply chain but greater transparency around how raw materials are produced and processed, no matter where they are from. So how should companies respond? Mr Allan said companies should be open and candid with customers, irrespective of the provenance of the product. “Accept the increased focus on standards, traceability and transparency. Don’t be afraid of labelling. We need to share information and there’s no need to hide the modern global supply chain from customers.” Mr Allan said this is crucial particularly when UK consumers are facing such an income squeeze and need the cost benefits that come from access to global food supply chains. “Global supply chains will provide value for money solutions, at a time when: consumers have less money and this is likely to be the case for some time, and when input costs for proteins are higher and more volatile.” He concluded by saying that we must build trust and transparency in the supply chain because our customers have made it clear that our reputation impacts on theirs.
“It’s a myth that you can get better stuff locally. What’s produced in Thailand and Brazil can put the EU to shame.”
Peter Allan, General Manger, Cargill Meats Europe
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42 THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014
HEALTH & SAFETY
The Bulletin
Written and compiled by Health and Safety manager, Joanna Hancock
HSE Triennial Review Outcome The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has
that its functions are still required and that it should
now published the outcome of the triennial review of
be retained as a non-departmental public body
the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), concluding
(NDPB).
THE REVIEW BROADLY confirmed the role of the safety watchdog, as well as ruling out any plans for privatisation of its functions.
scope for innovation and change.” One key area of criticism in the report was the HSE’s Fee for Intervention (FFI) Scheme.
In his foreword, Martin Temple, who led the review, said, “Having considered the evidence, I concluded that there is a continuing need for the functions that HSE delivers, and a very strong case for those functions to continue to be delivered by an arms-length body.”
Martin Temple raised concerns that “FFI is a penalty or fine regime, but without any of the usual safeguards for such statutory schemes”, and “that the introduction of FFI is linked to the need for HSE to fill the gap in its budget”.
He added, “However, this is not to say that there is no room for improvement, and I have identified a number of areas where there is
In response to the review, EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation said it agreed “wholeheartedly with the main conclusions
of the report” but that the report had “missed an opportunity” to look in more depth at establishing a unified health and safety agency (including local authorities) to cover all workplace health and safety issues. The outcome was also welcomed by Frances O’Grady, General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), who said, “There was huge support from all those who responded to the review for the work of the HSE as a public body.” The report can be accessed at www.gov.uk THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014 43
HEALTH & SAFETY
The Bulletin
Worker Safety Tops HSE 2014 Agenda With Employers The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has made a series of statements urging employers in various regions of Britain to make the safety of workers their top priority for 2014.
THE HEALTH AND safety watchdog made the appeal in a number of press releases highlighting key provisional regional health and safety statistics for 2012/13 and urging employers to focus on their legal responsibility to ensure lives are not put at risk.
Commenting on the figures, the HSE pointed out that overall, provisional figures show that the number of deaths across Great Britain has fallen in the last year, with 148 people killed at work, compared to 171 deaths during 2011/12.
n 22 workers were killed in Scotland
However, this trend is not consistent across Britain, with increases in deaths seen in Scotland, London, the South East counties, and Yorkshire and Humber.
n 22 workers were killed in the south east
Commenting on the issue, Richard Boland,
The HSE statements point out that during 2012/13:
n 13 workers were killed in London n 16 workers were killed in the east of England n 15 workers were killed in Yorkshire and Humber n 15 workers were killed in the north west n 14 workers were killed in the west midlands n 12 workers were killed in the south west n 8 workers were killed in Wales n 7 workers were killed in the east midlands n 2 workers were killed on railways (region unknown) n 2 workers were killed in the north east.
44 THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014
HSE Head of Operations for London, said, “Whilst the number of workplace deaths has decreased nationally, they have increased across the capital, and it serves as a stark reminder of why we need good health and safety in workplaces. I therefore urge employers to spend their time tackling the real dangers that workers face, and to stop worrying about trivial matters or pointless paperwork.�
HSE Food Industry Case Study
Fall from step ladder during refrigeration maintenance This case study outlines the prosecution of a food manufacturer for safety failings after a 49 year-old engineer fractured his skull and was left partially deaf after a three-metre fall.
banging his head on impact. The engineer spent four days in hospital following the incident. He damaged a bone in his right ear, which left him partially deaf and unable to work for a month following the fall. He also has debilitating tinnitus and has only been able to work reduced hours since his injury.
SUMMARY The worker sustained the serious head injury while investigating a fault with a data logger attached to a cooling unit. The employee had accessed the unit via a free-standing ladder resting against the rear of the chiller without any top ties or foot supports to stop it from moving. It slipped as he went to get some tools and he fell three metres to the floor below,
The HSE investigation established that had the ladder been better secured, or a safer alternative provided, such as an elevated work platform, then the fall could have been prevented. ACTION The company pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at
Work etc. Act 1974 and were fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £11,690 in costs. ADVICE After the hearing the investigating inspector said: “This incident could easily have proved fatal. You do not have to fall from a great height to lose your life and work at height remains one of the most significant causes of fatalities and major injuries in the workplace. “Extreme caution must be taken at all times, and the onus is on employers to ensure work is properly planned and supervised, and that adequate safety precautions are taken. That didn’t happen here, and the engineer has been left with a permanent injury.” THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014 45
HEALTH & SAFETY SEMINAR Wednesday 2nd July 2014 Ricoh Arena, Coventry CV6 6GE 9.30am - 3.30pm
Topics to be covered: • HSE priorities and target areas for 2014/5
Presenters include: HSE Fire Service BFFF Local Authority Palmer & Harvey Ltd DriverMetrics HSL DLA Piper JLT Specialty Ltd
Sponsored by Event :
• Legionella control and prevention • Fire case study • BFFF Primary Authority Scheme and industry statistics • Keeping safe whilst working on refrigerated vehicles/ trailers • Working at height in cold stores • Accidents and bad practises caught on camera - industry case study • Behaviour based driver safety • Safety Climate tool • Prosecution case study
Feedback from the 2013 Seminar:
PRICE:
£99 + VAT per member delegate £125 + VAT per non-member delegate
To register your interest in attending this seminar contact Joanna Hancock Email: joannahancock@bfff.co.uk or Tel: 01400 283096
Now Introducing Exhibitor Spaces! Contact Kate Miller for more information and to book your space. Email: katemiller@bfff.co.uk Mob: 07933 704270
TECHNICAL & LEGISLATIVE
The Bulletin
Written and compiled by Technical and Legislative manager, Su Dakin supported by Crystal Holmes, Technical Assistant
and brokers and frozen meat blocks specifically discussed as posing a high risk of fraud. Whilst it is true that criminal activity can operate in the areas identified in the review and that safeguards should be in place, other sectors are equally vulnerable as evidenced by major incidents that have occurred in dried foods, liquids and chilled food. Criminals will attack supply chains wherever they see an opportunity and the food industry as a whole should be safeguarded. The BFFF thinks it unwise to simply point the finger at one sector as part of this influential review.
The Elliott Report: What does it mean? After the horsemeat scandal of 2013, the UK food industry and consumers are still at risk from criminal activity; only a dramatic change in the industry’s working practices will protect them. AN INTERIM REPORT on the ‘Integrity and Assurance of the Food Supply Networks’ has recently been published. It is intended to highlight the current weaknesses of supply chain networks in the UK and suggest measures that should be taken to address them. An independent review of Britain’s food system was sought by the government following the horsemeat scandal. Professor Chris Elliott is a Professor of Food Safety and also the Director of the Institute for Global Food Security. He was charged with leading the review and has published the interim report. The full report will be published this spring once stakeholders have had the opportunity to comment on the practicalities of the recommendations made.
Professor Elliott’s report contains 48 recommendations for industry and government to better protect consumers from food crime. His suggestions include: n Moving from announced audits to unannounced audits by local authorities and third party certification bodies n More robust inspections and testing as a standard part of audit protocols n Better intelligence sharing between business and regulators n Creation of a specialist unit within the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to deal with foodrelated crimes n Changes to the FSA’s relationship with government and increasing their responsibilities for food labelling
Stand-alone cold stores have been targeted due to difficulty in inspecting them. They present an extremely inhospitable environment and things can easily be hidden from inspecting officers. We disagree; thousands of people work in cold stores productively every day. We think that tampering with frozen products is more difficult than other products. Anyone who has ever tried to reseal or stick a label on a frozen carton will know this. For frozen meat, the recommendations include that businesses should audit every stage of their supply chain not just immediate suppliers, that businesses limit their supply base and food handler training improved.
The recommendations have two main aims: to put consumers first by prioritising consumer confidence in the food that they eat, and ‘zero tolerance’ ideals to develop mechanisms within businesses to report suspicions.
The BFFF has responded to Professor Elliott expressing support for many of the recommendations, but also to raise concerns. We believe that all businesses need to play a part in assuring and protecting the supply chain and that this would not be provided through a commercial service providing intelligence only to those who can pay. BFFF would prefer a mechanism that ensures such information is available to all business and particularly SMEs who might not otherwise have access.
The frozen food sector is particularly highlighted with stand-alone cold stores, transport, traders
You can download the interim report at http://tinyurl.com/os3v3cf THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014 47
TECHNICAL & LEGISLATIVE
The Bulletin
FEndGas Review: is in sight The EU has been considering proposals to revise EU Regulation on fluorinated greenhouse gases (F gases) since the end of 2012. THE REGULATION CONTROLS F gas emissions as part of the EU’s commitments under the Kyoto Protocol and focusses on minimisation of emissions, especially from refrigeration equipment, to atmosphere through containment, leak reduction, and repair and recovery of F gases using appropriately certified personnel and companies. Shortly before Christmas, led by the European Council Presidency, trilogue discussions with the European Commission and European Parliament reached an informal compromise agreement on the Regulatory proposal paving the way for agreement at first reading by the European Parliament in March, crucially before Parliamentary elections. The amended Commission proposal strengthens the existing measures set out in the EC F gas Regulation (Regulation 842/2006 48 THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014
on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases). The most important new measure is a phase down in the supply of Hydrofluorocarbons or HFCs. An EU phase down would begin with a freeze in supply in 2015. The freeze would be followed by several reduction steps from 2016. By 2030 European HFC supply would aim to be twenty one percent of 2015 levels. The phase down will be supported by a number of product and equipment bans where it has been demonstrated that suitable alternatives already exist or will exist by the time the respective bans enter into force. Furthermore, there are provisions that prohibit the use of F gases with a global warming potential (GWP) of 2500 or more to service and maintain certain refrigeration and air conditioning equipment. However, the use of reclaimed and recycled F gases with a GWP above 2500 is allowed until 1 January 2030. The trilogue agreement has been broadly welcomed by the refrigeration industries’ national and European Associations as it continues to focus the F Gas Regulation on phase down rather than outright bans and also allows for the reclamation and reuse of
higher GWP refrigerants for a period of time. The agreement at this time also gives some certainty and will enable businesses to make decisions on how to replace obsolete R22 systems. At the time of writing the new proposal has been approved by the influential Environment (ENVI) Committee of MEPs and is expected to be approved by the full European Parliament in March. A positive vote with no further amendments would be followed by Council consideration and expected final approval and adoption of the new Regulation by Ministers by June 2014. The Regulation would apply from January 2015. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is liaising with stakeholders to explain the key changes and impacts and also explore the best way of implementing the change.
If you are interested in becoming involved, email Sudakin@bfff.co.uk You can download the adopted text through this link: http://tinyurl.com/qfjj6bc
MEMBERS
The Bulletin
Five Join The Federation Five new members across a broad range of associated industries from food manufacturers and producers, to importers and industrial equipment distributors, have recently joined the BFFF.
a click away’. The company combines the traditional savings and cost-effectiveness of a buying group with the purchasing control and efficiency of e-commerce solutions. Producer of mainly meat-based products, Smithfield Foods Ltd is an international food company with production and sales across the world. Smithfield works across multiple sales channels and market segments with a broad portfolio of branded and private-label meat products, and is looking to grow its frozen portfolio.
operations - distributor offering a wide choice to all industries, professions and trades. It delivers significant savings through vending and stock management with 54 UK branches and a central warehouse in Leicester offering over-night deliveries nation-wide. The BFFF has attracted over 25 new members to date in 2013/2014. This continuous recruitment illustrates the range of membership services and benefits being offered by the BFFF to its members. BFFF members enjoy the following benefits:
NEWLY-FORMED The Pastry Room produces ‘ready to use from frozen’ pastry for chefs from its base in North Lincolnshire. Its professional use crumb is available for suet, sweet shortcrust and all butter sweet pastry. Developed by trained pastry chefs using only natural ingredients, it allows chefs to use as much or as little of the crumb as they want straight from the freezer. E- Foods, a Manchester-based buying group for food service, catering and hospitality, provides a ‘world of purchasing that’s just
Cold storage, distribution and supply chain specialist, CDS Ltd is a one-stop shop for any grocery or consumer goods company wanting to improve its supply chain throughout Canada and international markets. Specialising in ambient, refrigerated, and frozen warehouse and distribution services for the food and beverage industry, CDS aims to grow imports of UK food products into Canada.
n Protection and Promoting the Industry n Membership Benefit Schemes n Collective Strength and Unity n Excellent Networking Events If you know any companies that would benefit from BFFF membership, please contact Graeme Day on 01400 283092 or email GraemeDay@bfff.co.uk
Cromwell is a leading independent industrial equipment - maintenance, repair and
Featured Members APPLIED DATA CORPORATION see page 50 www.sharp-systems.com
THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014 49
NEW MEMBER
PROFILE
APPLIED DATA CORPORATION
Applied Data Corporation’s InterStore Fresh Item Management (FIM) software suite has helped our customers achieve double-digit shrink reductions, reduce out-of-stocks, increase fresh sales and meet labeling legislation. SINCE 1989, Applied Data Corporation (ADC) has been “Keeping Fresh Profitable” for supermarket, convenience and fresh-food retailers with InterStore, an integrated Fresh Item Management (FIM) software suite. ADC’s InterStore software suite is comprised of three systems: • The InterScale Scales Manager hosts data to and from any mix of barcode labeling scales, printers and kiosks in fresh departments, regardless of manufacturer, brand or model.
www.AppliedDataCorp.com
Keeping Fresh Profitable
• The NutriGen Recipe Manager analyses product recipes to generate an accurate EU 1169 compliant ingredients list, with nutritional fact values and allergens for labeling. NutriGen also calculates the true cost of an item, including packaging and labor costs. NutriGen + InterScale = EU 1169 Compliance
Contact Information: Chris Evans, Sales Manager EMEA Mobile: +44 (0) 7930 32778
50 THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014
• The P-Cubed Production Manager empowers fresh food department operations by capturing and highlighting perishable item shrink, maintaining perpetual inventory, generating demand-driven production plans, managing minced meat traceability, providing testable meat cut templates and tracking customer-selectable ingredient combinations. With 125 retail chain accounts and over 10,000 stores installed in 11 countries, ADC’s InterStore is a global leader in FIM technologies. InterStore helps improve fresh department sales and margins for retailers by tracking perishable shrink, forecasting production plans and product ordering.
Office: +44 (0) 1223 790042 ext. 2189 Email: Chris.Evans@AppliedDataCorp.com Website: www.AppliedDataCorp.com
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 2014 15th May
28th July
Belton Woods Hotel, Grantham 01206 273815 margreaves@btinternet.com
Hotel Mercure, Windsor
Frozen & Chilled Golf Day
12th June
BFFF Industry Forum 30 Finsbury Square, London
BFFF Seminar - Thinking of Joining the BFFF
16th Oct
BFFF Seminar - Introduction to the BFFF Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon
19th - 23rd Oct SIAL
Parc des Expositions - Paris www.sialparis.com
24th - 26th Mar Food and Drink Expo
NEC, Birmingham www.foodanddrinkexpo.co.uk
24th - 26th Mar Foodex
NEC, Birmingham www.foodex.co.uk
31st Mar - 3rd Apr Alimentaria
Gran Via Exhbition Centre, Barcelona www.alimentaria-bcn.com/en/
28th Apr - 1st May Hotelympia
Excel, London www.hotelympia.com
6th - 8th May Seafood Expo Global Brussels Expo, Brussels www.seafoodexpo.com
12th June
BFFF Dinner Dance & Awards Evening Hilton on Park Lane, London
25th Nov
BFFF Annual Luncheon Hilton on Park Lane, London
2nd July
26th Nov
Ricoh Arena, Coventry
Venue - TBA, London
BFFF Health & Safety Seminar
BFFF Industry Forum
2015 3rd Mar
BFFF Business Conference & Exhibition Chesford Grange Hotel, Kenilworth
22nd - 25th Mar IFE 2015
Excel, London www.ife.co.uk THE BULLETIN I MARCH/APRIL 2014 51
NICCO AD